St Louis Cardinals 2026

The good:

Burly had a a great year. Walker found it. Winn still GG SS. Wetherholt decent rookie season. McGreevy/Pallante/Leahy formed a foundation of a decent rotation. Graceffo had a great yr from the Pen.

The bad:

Major holes at 3b/LF/CF/C. Rotation needs at least 1 guy better than the 3 above. Middle relief was bad. O'Brien edge of the seat closer.

Mathews and Hjerpe looked decent, lets see if they can take a step forward. Bernal looked good in a SSS hopefully he can seize the C spot. Baez will get his chance in LF. Don't see an immediate solution at 3b. Herrera must hit to stick at DH, he can't catch. Hopefully Gorman is done in StL and Liberatore is done as a starter and maybe BP as well. On to 2027.

BillyBob1 said:

Don’t expect him to win the MVP, but this is quite an accomplishment. I saw he had 26 home runs, which is not bad, but so many others are in the 40’s and he beat them. He has been a solid hitter and they need to sign him to an extension.

I remember Tommy Herr and the season he had with 10 home runs and 100 or more rbi’s.

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How many of those runs were Vince Coleman?

From the cheap seats said:

I am optimistic about the Cards' future for the first time in a few years. Seems to me they have talent and upside at C (Bernal plus Rodriguez), 1B (Burleson), 2B (Wetherholt), SS (Winn, even if he only hits .250 his glove is worth it), LF (Baez), CF (Church looks serviceable) and RF (Walker) plus Herrera at DH with utility guys like Saggese, Fermin and Jordan providing competition at 3B and bench roles. I like McGreevy, Leahy and Pallante as SP to build around with Mathews and maybe even Liberatore able to fill out the rotation. That doesn't count the highly rated, high draft picks still in the minors.
They certainly could use a big bat at 3B, but to me what will determine whether they can contend is if they can build a strong bullpen. So many games are now decided in the final 3 or 4 innings and those innings are overwhelmingly bullpen innings. Their bullpen ranked 22nd out of 30 teams. That's the major difference in missing the playoffs. It also can be the fastest fix.

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I have become leery of pre-season bullpen ratings. There are years where it was addressed and the bullpen sucked. Other times, left alone, using minor league depth and they performed well. I am not saying ignore the bullpen. Just that it seems to vary more year to year than other positions. Maybe it has to do with how the skipper manages the bullpen? Position players and starters know what to expect, except maybe where in the lineup they will bat. Bullpen is less reliable. Even if folks have a "defined role". With a 3 run lead, do you bring in your 7th, 8th and 9th inning relievers, or give them a rest day? I don't know, just some ramblings.

the juiceman cometh said:

Look man, I support your right to be a delusional fan and the whole point I was trying to make, and that I think BillyBob was trying to make, was that all fanbases have this.

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11 World Series Championships 2nd only to the Yankees
2000-2022 16 playoff appearances, 2 WS championships 5 NLCS

We can support a top 10 payroll and with competent management - we should be consistent contenders- heck the Brewers do it.
I watched Whitey turn it around, I watched Walt Jocketty turn it around, LaRussa win, if we had not fired Mike Shildt we would have done better

We have an excellent core of young players - I don't think Leo is a flash in the pan. Baez hit a slump but figured it out and raised his BA from .175 to .260 before getting injured. Burleson and Walker have emerged as potential all stars. Weatheholt and Winn look solid.

From the cheap seats said:

I am optimistic about the Cards' future for the first time in a few years. Seems to me they have talent and upside at C (Bernal plus Rodriguez), 1B (Burleson), 2B (Wetherholt), SS (Winn, even if he only hits .250 his glove is worth it), LF (Baez), CF (Church looks serviceable) and RF (Walker) plus Herrera at DH with utility guys like Saggese, Fermin and Jordan providing competition at 3B and bench roles. I like McGreevy, Leahy and Pallante as SP to build around with Mathews and maybe even Liberatore able to fill out the rotation. That doesn't count the highly rated, high draft picks still in the minors.
They certainly could use a big bat at 3B, but to me what will determine whether they can contend is if they can build a strong bullpen. So many games are now decided in the final 3 or 4 innings and those innings are overwhelmingly bullpen innings. Their bullpen ranked 22nd out of 30 teams. That's the major difference in missing the playoffs. It also can be the fastest fix.

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They're not at the point of the rebuild where they need to do this (and hamper SP development), but they could easily build a competent bullpen out of the AAA rotation arms they have. Spending real money there should ALWAYS the worst case scenario - RPs are fickle by nature. The rotation is missing a big time front end starter, but there's plenty of talent there as-is to be a competent rotation. And Liam Doyle could be that front end starter (and will likely be ready towards the back half of 2027, which is earliest we'll even get MLB baseball next year most likely).

I think they see 3b as a bridge problem from now until Jesus Baez is ready. Would be a good place for stopgap spending, but the FAs there are very uninspiring. Kind of the same problem in the OF, because they'll give Joshua Baez a shot in a corner and probably let Church see if he's useful in 2027 or if Victor Scott can show some signs of life (again, whatever amount of a season we get), but they may really like Tai Peete and Josiah Ragsdale by this time next year.

They'll spend some type of money this off season, just because they'll be comically low next year if they stand pat + arb raises. But again, the Free Agent position player market is gloomy this offseason, and signing an expensive SP may be pretty foolish if we're staring down the barrel of a prolonged lockout.

I also just want to say there's not enough JJ Wetherholt appreciation going on in here. The guy should win the RoY award walking away and it's a crime that he probably won't because Sal Stewart hit a bunch of HRs. He should also win 2b gold glove (he might).